Owner	Pose
Katsumi Oshiro	It's been a few days. Options have been weighed. Time marches on, as time is wont to do. It's become a little nervewracking, thinking about where her life has wound up and what life ahead appears to be. But she can moderate. She can get control of herself and hold back. That's why she's been sneaking out a few nights, finding underground fights. Jen doesn't need to know about those. But there's a difference between trying to work out, and dealing with someone who's actively trying to do you harm, no holding back. Ironically, every opponent has been blonde. Also ironically, every opponent has done something very weird after the fight. If not try to kill her, they wind up killing someone else, and she scatters before the police arrives. She needs to unwind. To de-stress. Tonight, she's staying in and being determinedly lazy. Bare feet, a simple cutoff top, and lounge pants, all purple with black accents make up her 'did not get dressed today' attire. She gave Jen a call, inviting her to hang out for movies. And she even asked her to pass word to Ant Man. She felt like she owed him maybe an apology for being such a spazz and ruining Christmas. Yes. She ruined Christmas. Not the flying knives or dog-sized ants. At present, she's doing her very best sultry 1980's throwback - forearms resting over the metal railing of her hotel room balcony, looking out over the dusky city as a warm breeze plays through her hair.
Jennifer Walters	It isn't long before there's a knock on the hotel room's door. Jennifer had gotten Katsumi's call, and in return reached out to Scott to let him know that Katsumi wanted him to come by, too. She had met him in the parking lot, and the two of them had gone up together to the room. Tonight she's dressed casually. She had taken the time to go home and actually get out of her business suit and into something more comfortable before she would go see Katsumi. Jeans and boots, a white T-shirt with a local rock band, and one of those light jackets that only go down midriff complete the outfit. "So. Where've you been all this time, Scott?" she asks casually. He'd basically disappeared since Christmas and nobody was really sure what had happened to him.
Scott Lang	Go see Katsumi? It had been a while since Scott had least dealt with the emotional wrassler from Japan and he'd hesitated when the call first came from She-Hulk. Not least because it was She-Hulk, she was a coworker but not someone he'd ever spent much time socializing with, being a single father and superhero kept socializing to a minimum most of the time. But also because he had no idea where he even stood with the young woman he'd accidentally KOed and packed into his car that fateful day like she'd been part of the Christmas shopping. Finally though he relented, if she was calling HIM she must really need company. The perfectly reliable and affordable Accord parked in the hotel lot and it hadn't exactly been difficult to spot Jennifer as they headed up together. At least being next to someone taller wasn't as big a deal to him as it might be to others, when you spend a good portion of your career ant-size an extra foot or two doesn't seem like much. "Space mostly. I mean started in Hawaii with a Cthulu but then outer space with the Kryptonians and some space pirates. You know how it goes," he answers just as casually as if discussing the weather, his eyes straight ahead. He too has taken to casual wear, which was good because it was most of his wardrobe outside of his hero suit, which was shrunken and tucked away in a case in a pocket of his faded and well-worn blue jeans. His shirt reaches further than either of the women, his far hairier navel hidden by the longer black t-shirt that is covered in odd white numbers surrounding the phrase 'I Can't Even.'
Katsumi Oshiro	The hotel door opens. The desk agent greets them, certainly recognizing Jen by now as a welcome guest; even if she weren't obviously She-Hulk and a celebrity. But what the agent doesn't spot is the dark shape darting through the door's crack after them, and immediately tucking beneath a chair. Another guest departs from the stairwell, and the door hangs on its pneumatic hinge to avoid that obnoxious 'BANG' of heavy metal door meeting metal frame. ... There's a knock! Katsumi wheels around from the balcony, a few stray wisps of silken blueblack caught against her features. She tugs it away from her face and moves to the door, unlocking it and pulling it open. There they all are. With a pleased smile, she steps aside. "Come in! Where the Hell have you been, Butterscotts?" She still thinks that's how the word is pronounced. "I tried visiting, and no one's around? You got a serious ant problem, by the way. Tearing up your lawn by now, I bet. 'Specially with it getting warmer out. They're gonna eat your kid, if you're not careful. Don't let'em eat your kid."
Jennifer Walters	Jennifer nods knowingly to Scott's latest adventure. "If it's not one thing, it's another." Just an average day in the life of an Avenger. "I hope your daughter was okay during all of this. What was it... Cassie was her name?" Then the door opens and Katsumi is there, and Jennifer greets her with a bright smile and a gentle hug. Moving inside the apartment she asks, "How've you been?"
Scott Lang	Scott isn't about to correct her. It's cute and the longer it goes before the day someone DOES correct her the more awkwardly embarassing it will be. With luck he'll be there to see it. "Heya KitKat, you're looking...relaxed," Scott settles on saying as he flicks a quick eye up and down Katsumi who looked almost ready to sleep. His own awkward moment as the two women hug and he starts rapidly overthinking what he should do. It was only his third time meeting her, he couldn't hug her but shaking hands was too formal...finally he raises a hand but fingers curled in a fist. Knucklebumps would save the day. "What's wrong you miss my charming smile? Or just hoping for more holiday gifts?" he teases, indeed flashing a grin as he steps inside and takes a look around the hotel room. "The ants are trained you know, I'm literally known as Ant-Man. Cassie was with her Mom. I was in space. Met aliens. Like a LOT of aliens," he adds as if only now dawning on him as well before he shakes his head. Best not to linger on it. "What's been going on back here on Earth then? You still having fainting spells? Jen you have to carry her scrawny butt to a hospital?"
Katsumi Oshiro	Hugs are weird and awkward. Even when Katsumi was around the people who were, more or less, her 'family', they didn't hug. It's not unspeakable in Japanese culture, but it is quite forward. Moreover, she's Katsumi. People don't hug Katsumi. They yell at her.She has, however, gradually become more accustomed to the embrace outside of the wrestling ring. And when it comes to Jennifer, there's something secure about being hugged by someone absurdly strong and bigger. Like a security blanket. She pats the green gal in the hug, then steps back and gives Scott a bemused look. "It's impossible to outdo my air freshener. That's not it." His 'fight the power' hand gesture gets an odd look before she realizes what it's become. Is this where they're at? Fistbumps? But he's older than her. This makes it weird, right? She raises a hand to uncomfortably dap knuckles, and then immediately moves to shut the door behind him so they can mutually move on from that moment. She winces slightly at the mention of her previous faintings. "N-no. No fainting spells. And I have a /nice/ butt, haters gonna hate." Turning, she leans back against the door. "Y'know, I'm not even weirded out at the fact that someone launched you into space. Used to be, that'd freak me out." Did she mean to word it that way? "But while you were trying to get your Bill Shatner on, I was.. dealing with other things." She slants a meaningful look to Jen. So many things. Heartbreak, depression, terror - kind of in that order. "I'm okay," she redirects to Jennifer, voice softening a touch. "Just... waiting for the next card to drop, I guess." There's a certain morose weight to that statement, the distant hint of broken resignation. And then suddenly, she perks! "I'm making something! You two get comfy! Jen, can you tell'em a little about, uh.. the crap that's happened? I'm gonna deal with this!" And just as abruptly, the spritely punkette darts between them and into the kitchen. Swanky hotel room.
Jennifer Walters	"Oh God," Jennifer moans, finding herself one of the big comfy chairs. There isn't a couch in the hotel room, but the chairs? You could fall asleep in them, easy. Swanky room indeed. "Where to begin?" "Welllll...." Jennifer says, drawing out the word. "In a nutshell, Katsumi, here, is a fledgling superhero. She ended up getting powers, which is kind of exciting if you think about it. Unfortunately, she ended up seriously injuring one of her opponents in a wrestling match. She's okay, though, but Katsumi ended up getting fired from the federation she was in." Jennifer waves a hand around to indicate the hotel room, "I've set her up here, until she can figure out what to do with herself. It's all still up in the air at the moment." No mention of Katsumi's love life that has kind of disintegrated. That's not for her to tell. "We're not actually sure what activates her powers, yet. We /do/ know that sometimes she gets super strong, and after a session with Dr. Druid we were able to determine that she's the avatar for some God. Still not sure which one, and still not sure what they expect Katsumi to do."
Scott Lang	Scott isn't about to talk about her butt again, even if Jen wasn't in the room looming over all. Or, lounging as the case may be when his green coworker collapses into a chair which by the sheer fact it supports her shows how good it is. Swanky it may be but a hotel room all the same, the main room still featuring the bed as well and so Scott sits himself on the end of it instead, finding it a million times more comfy feeling than his own back home, groaning and rubbing at his temples as Jen explains the situation in detail. "Of course she is. You know just cause she has superpowers she doesn't HAVE to be a superhero. Is she sure she wants to do that? She could just like, get a job moving furniture. Katsumi, does Japan have any gods of moving furniture? It could be a Feng Shui god!" Scott calls out towards the kitchen excitedly as if he may have solved this whole ordeal then and there. A pause and a frown and then Scott looks back to Jen. "You know I like swanky hotel rooms too. If you ever want to set me up in one for a week or soemthing I won't say no." Moochers need to try, and by the time he's done talking a deck of cards is flashing between his hands, shuffling and fluttering back and forth as he looks to give his hands something to do.
Katsumi Oshiro	Soon, the unmistakable scent of cookies becomes stronger. Had that always been here? Something's afoot. "Japan has lots of gods!," shouts Katsumi invisibly from the kitchen. "Feng Shui has four gods!" "Don't you piss'em off, Butterscotts! You respect those gods!" She's almost certainly just messing with him. Suddenly, there's a sound at the door. A scuttling? No, something brushing against it repeatedly, insistently, in tiny scrapes. And it seems to be coming from near the base of the door. Indeed, should either look down at the doorcrack, they'll see a small shadow fidgeting on the other side. Scrapescrapescrape.
Jennifer Walters	"Well, yes, true," Jennifer says, nodding to Scott. "But a girl can dream, can't she? I mean who /doesn't/ want to mentor a brand new superhero!" She grins, showing that this is more of a fantasy on her part than any kind of reality when it comes to Katsumi. "Seriously, though. I'm just trying to help her get back on her feet and gain control. I know what it's like when you have immense power suddenly thrust on you and it's more than you ever thought possible." "Those smell delicious!" she calls out to Katsumi. "You're going to make the whole hotel hunger for cookies!" She looks like she's about to say something when she notices the scratching from the other side of the door. She scowls, looking over and asks Scott, "Do you hear that?"
Scott Lang	"I don't want to mentor anyone. I've seen how crazy it made Hank mentoring me...well still driving him crazy mentoring me really," Scott admits, even as his nose flares and he basks in the cookie scent. Oh, was THIS why he was invited over? "Good on you though wanting to help. She seems like a good kid," Scott still insisting on calling Katsumi as younger than she is cause she's just so darn petite and CUTE. And then Jen makes a terrible mistake. She calls Scott's attention to a possible danger. "Oh hey Kat, your hotel has a resident kitty cat? I thought you had that spot," he teases as he bounces off the bed, barely giving Jen time to get out a 'wait, stop, don't...' before he's crouched down while simultaneously opening the door, trying to catch the presumed feline on the other side of the door. Somehow Scott hadn't been eaten by aliens while in space.
Katsumi Oshiro	"What?," asks Katsumi loudly from the kitchen. She's not sure she heard that right. The door is opened! Light from the exterior hallway seeps in, and the shifty shadow creating the scratching sounds darts for that opening! Suddenly, Scott has acquired one(1) /excessively/ woolly calico cat. It's a little on the larger size, but well within regular housecat parameters. Or perhaps it's just all that snuggly woolly fur giving it the appearance of being bigger? Either way, it squirms and paws in an effort to free itself and scuttle further into the room. Choose your own adventure! Should Scott maintain his hold on the cat, it will evidently subdue and tuck itself into the arms of its captor. Should Scott have buttery fingers, the feline will hop up onto the next chair adjacent to Jen and begin sniffing at the air, nosepad upturned. Sniff'a-sniff.
Jennifer Walters	When dealing with unknown cosmic entities having a hand in the fate of a friend, you can never be too cautious, which is why Jen's about to get up with an outstretched hand to caution Scott from opening the door, but it's too late. That's when the universe freezes, caught in a state of quantum flux, waiting for Scott to make a fateful decision that will alter the course of the trio's future in unimaginable ways. Or it won't. Who's to say? "Suspenseful, isn't it?" Jen says to the players, before going back to her outstretched position.
Scott Lang	"KITTY!" Scott cries out just as gleefully as any child would. He's used to manhandling dog-sized ants and 6 year olds alike, the furry calico stands little chance as he snugs it up and stands, cautious of its claws but otherwise already hard at work scritching it as it curls in his arms. He turns back to Jennifer and displays his prize as he shuts the door behind him with a knock of his foot. "This is the best hotel, look what it comes with!" he exclaims as he moves back to sit on the foot of the bed and lets the cat go in his lap where it more than likely starts zipping around to explore. "Hey Katsumi, I hope you've got some fish in there or something too, you've got more company."
Katsumi Oshiro	"Huh?," asks Katsumi, further confused. "Why would I-" She's cut off by a series of sharp beeps. A smoke alarm is going off. "Dammit!" There's a little hustling in the kitchen area as she goes about beating the smoke alarm to calm it down. Meanwhile, Scott is presenting a grumpy-looking feline to Jen. Its lower half dangles, forelegs ramrod straight as it stares at her with an expression that is somehow both complacent and terribly judgmental. When Scott sits on the bed, he may find himself somewhat surprised when the feline doesn't bolt away. Instead, it turns to look up at Scott, just as critical of him as it had been towards Jen. When suddenly, it turns aside and tilts its head. A paw lifts to thoughtfully touch its muzzle. "English. And with less decorum than I would have hoped," entones the feline, in a voice that is truly befitting a powerful, classic orator - somewhere between the depth, bass, and British accent of James Earl Jones reprising Darth Vader and the self-assured dismissiveness of Orson Welles. The feline's pale jade gaze shifts to Jen. "But one cannot overlook the obvious. To have already attracted an ogress to his company, I am ashamed of my slowness." The feline hops down from the lap to the bed, pads a few steps along the mattress, then turns to face Scott. "Clearly you have taken well to the soul."
Jennifer Walters	Jennifer slowly lowers her hand when she sees that all it is is a cat. A large fluffy one at that. "Well, thank God it's just a cat, Scott. You never know what..." and then the cat speaks. She just /stares/ at the cat in open horror. She indignantly puts her hands on her hips. "ExCUSE me? An Ogress?" She doesn't seem even slightly shocked that the cat could, in fact, speak. She is, after all, an Avenger so for all we know this is something that happens to her on every other Tuesday. "I'll have you know that I'm the Jade Giantess. The one-and-only She-Hulk!" Her eyes narrow as the cat continues to talk to Scott. "I don't think he is who you think he is," she says slowly, carefully. "He's just a guy who can shrink, and can do some mean party tricks."
Scott Lang	Scott for his part freezes as the feline speaks, his eyes wide. Sure he's an Avenger but he hasn't been around quite as long as She-Hulk. Even after dealing with aliens a talking cat on his lap draws some reaction, his jaw slack for a few moments before it manages to clip shut when Jen finally addresses the animal. "Hey, whoa, I'm not just a guy who shrinks and does party tricks now Princess Fiona," Scott ready to take the cat's side on this ogress situation if she was gonna be like that. His head shaking a second later as he realizes that's not really the important part of this whole situation, instead pointing a finger down at the cat. "What are you and why are you here? KATSUMI! You need to get in here now! This is more important than the cookies...I think," he tacks on.
Katsumi Oshiro	"A princess? Fiona?," puzzles the feline with a characteristic headtilt. When Scott thrusts his finger down at the cat's face, he raises his head to tentatively sniff at it. Sniff'a-sniff. "Katsumi?," he furthers as Scott shouts. Surely he means the other woman present, and not the.. well.. "Huh?," calls Real Katsumi as the sound of metal sliding on metal can be heard. And then a sudden string of profanities: "Aaah! Motherf***ing son of a b**** ass god-f***ing-d*** s***-chomping-" It carries on like that. She may have burned herself. The cat in question pins his ears down against the racket, then diverts his attention to the offended Miss Walters. "Yes," he reports. "A she-hulk. Ogress. We repeat ourselves, Fiona Katsumi, Your Highness." The feline's head dips in mild, yet remarkably refined cordiality. "Forgive my misunderstanding. I was to believe my quarry would be human."
Jennifer Walters	"I.... what?" Jennifer blinks, confused. "Nonono. My name is Jennifer. Katsumi is the one that's in the kitchen giving our censors a heart attack." Her eyes narrow further as the cat keeps on talking, slowly piecing two and two together. Ancient cosmic entities. Talking animals. It's starting to make sense. "Katsumiiii!" she calls out to the kitchen. "I think the talking cat is here for you!" She turns back to the cat and lowers herself so she can be at eye level with him. "And 'quarry' means hunting," she says, voice dangerously low. "And I happen to like Katsumi very much. If you hurt her in /any way/ I will pitch you out the window and we'll see if a mystical talking cat can land safely on his feet from ten stories up."
Scott Lang	"It's true, her name is Jennifer. Still a Princess though," Scott deadpans, one hand in his pocket nervously rubbing the case that holds the shrunken Ant-Man suit. This was weird enough to make him wish he had it AND its defenses at his disposal, but, well it was still just a cat right? Suiting up would be overkill. "Yea Katsumi, abandon the desserts...I mean unless they're done of course. You gotta get in here," Scott at least agreeing on that. And the next point of Jennifer as well even if he's not half as scary. "Princess Jennifer is right though, lets not use the word 'quarry' when talking about our friend. What do you want furball?" His eyes start to scan the room as well again now. Were there more talking animals? Ogres? Other...things? The hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, the talking cat comical in some ways but creepy enough in others to make him worry.
Katsumi Oshiro	"Perhaps I mis-spoke. English is such a barbaric language," soothes(?) the feline in the face of a very menacing Jennifer. If the words weren't haughty enough, the cat's gaze even half-lids, and his head demures aside. "But if you are not the possessor of the soul..." He looks more directly to Jennifer, now that she's reached eye level with him. His gaze has sharpened, deadlocking with her eyes. "...and indeed, you do not bear the mark. And you..." His head twists nearly backwards to regard Scott - though that isn't entirely unnatural for a cat. "...also the wrong color. That could only mean..." "You guys got a cat!?," calls Katsumi, half-understanding what they were yelling amidst her tirade of frustrated swearing. At last, Katsumi rounds into the main room wearing a pair of oven mitts and supporting a plate of fresh cookies. She spots the excessively woolly feline and instantly inhales. Their eyes meet. The cat's heart visibly drops. "Eeeee!" Katsumi quickly sets the plate of cookies on the bed and dives forward, snatching the floofy cat into her arms. "Ohmigod, it's got such a squishy face and it's so waaarm~! Whose is he!?," she squeals.
Jennifer Walters	"Katsumi," Jennifer warns (but not before sneaking a cookie) "This cat can talk. He's apparently here for you. (Mmmf. These cookies are good, Kat!)" She takes in what the cat is saying about the mark. About the wrong color when looking at Scott's eyes. "I think he'll have some of the answers you've been wanting for," she concludes.
Scott Lang	"I think he's yours now. Or he's here to drag you to Hell. We're still a bit...oh that's adorable, I think he likes you," Scott teases the prim and proper puss as it's manhandled by the enthusiastic Katsumi even as he takes his own fill of the cookies while still casting glances to the door and windows. Swallowing down a bite he crouches down beside the sprawled Katsumi and taps her on the head, remarking, "You might want to let it breathe. We're not kidding, it can talk. And the next time you decide to get superpowers get it the old fashioned way. Grab some tech or have an accident. This is, weird," he concludes with a long stare at the grump-faced feline.
Katsumi Oshiro	There appear to be exactly zero nefarious entities lurking in the cracks and crevices of the room, nor just beyond the doorway, nor hovering outside in spectral form. One might conclude that the cat came alone. So cocky! Or unassuming. The cookies, on the other hand, are wonderful to a supernatural degree. They're just that level of undercooked where the cookie-dough is soft, but stable, chocolate chips firm enough to give little morsels of crunch. Either it was an accident, or Katsumi has made cookies before. Perhaps a lot. The information she gets, however, earns a curious pause. Her head tilts with the fingertap, then looks to Jennifer. "I will? From a cat?" She looks to Scott. "/You're/ weird." But the moment her arms relent an inch, the fuzzball pops out of her grip, disheveled and surly. "Unhand me, miscreant!," he fusses. "Of all the potential humans, I find myself charged with the smallest, most- /domesticated/-," a paw gestures at the cookies in indication, "undisciplined /child/ Earth has to offer!" "Holy s***, it's talking." The feline stills, as if affronted, and then primly seats himself at the foot of the bed. "I am not an 'it'. I am a cat. My name is Herukage, Emissary of Makai-no-Yomorinushi, Lord Protector of the Night, Father of Beasts, Shepherd of Animalkind, and God of Yokai." Katsumi remains seated upright on the bed, seeming to absorb it. And then a glance to Jennifer. "This is like something weird from your end, right? You guys?"
Jennifer Walters	Jennifer shakes her head at Katsumi. "Nope. I'm afraid this one is all you." She finds her way back to the comfy seat (after snagging a couple more cookies) and crosses her legs to regard Herukage. "She may be small, yes, but she's feisty. She's an excellent wrestler and that takes a /lot/ of discipline and control to pull off." She chews on a cookie, "And never, ever, discount the importance of being able to bake cookies."
Scott Lang	"Yes I AM weird but right now you're weirder still KitKat," Scott assures her as he stands up and rubs at the bridge of his nose before looking to Jen. "You know I just got through dealing with a talking racoon but at least it wore a little suit and all. Heru we need some details. Katsumi here has been worried sick about what's happening to her. So what's going on with our girl? And why are you here?" Scott questions. At least he has finally stopped touching the Ant-Man case, the cat not seeming particularly dangerous and no other supernatural entities showing signs of stopping by. Still he's clearly nervous, if not about it then for Katsumi as his cards are back in his hands, riffling back and forth with a steady sound to occupy his fingers.
Katsumi Oshiro	Katsumi Oshiro starts to frown as the gravity begins to set in. "Y-yeah. Uh... talking cats are.. super f***ing not my comfort zone, but if you know what's been going on with me..." She shoots an appreciative look to Jennifer, however. Ogress, She-Hulk, whatever she might be, Jen is always unreasonably uplifting. If she weren't so weirded out, she'd let herself appreciate the kindness a little more. But right now, the more the moment sinks in, the more she feels those pins and needles. "A wrestler?," asks Herukage, giving Jennifer a skeptical look. "She is very small. And a female wrestler is perverse. They are permitted only fundoshi, after all." Katsumi sputters. "Not /that/ kind of wrestler!" The feline gives her a nonplussed look, then redirects his focus to Scott. He's asking poignant questions, so they will get an answer. After all, that happens to be the very reason he's here. "I," begins Herukage, placing a paw to his considerably fluffy chest, "am charged with guiding the Lord Protector's divine wrath, according to his will. In his wisdom, the God of Yokai foresaw the confusion and uncertainty a human would face upon being blessed with such an incredible gift. None need worry. All will become clear soon." "Did he say divine wrath?," asks Katsumi, concern creeping into her voice. Meanwhile, Herukage has begun scanning the room. "Ah." He drops from the bed and begins hopping on furniture - briefly alighting upon Jennifer before hopping up onto the desk beside her. In true cat fashion, he pawbats the desklamp to knock it over.
Jennifer Walters	Jennifer smoothly reaches out and catches the lamp before it hits the floor, setting it back in place well away from the edge of the desk. "I don't know what a fundoshi is, but I can only assume it's something lewd," she observes. "Look," she begins patiently, "Herukage. I assume you haven't been to Earth in a while because from the sound of it, things don't work quite the way you imagine that they do around here." Then something occurs to her. "Wait. Sudden awakening of mystical powers.... animal cat companion.... Katsumi!" she gasps her hand slapping her cheeks in glee, "You're a magical girl!"
Scott Lang	"Not sure anyone who weighs less than a toddler should be calling someone else small either. And women's wrestling has come a long way from the 90's mudpits buddy," Scott trying to sound politically correct until, "Not that all those matches were bad either. Kat...not you the other...alright I'll stick with full name, Katsumi sit here and find out what you can. I wanna do a quick scan around the halls, maybe see if I can't tap into any ants in the building. Jen stay with her just in case little puss here suddenly changes into a dragon or something," Scott requests as he goes for the door and peeks his head into the hall a moment before looking back and locking eyes with Jen. He begins humming All-Stars as he hurriedly leaves the room at that point.
Katsumi Oshiro	"Lewd?!," balks the feline, as if accosted by the notion. "No more lewd than your- your-" His paw raises to motion vaguely towards Jennifer. "-.. undergarments." "Okay, so fundoshi are like the sumo-diapers," Katsumi interjects. Despite the latent humor in that, there's a certain tension in her voice belying her concern. There's a talking cat. That's weird enough. But it's a talking cat that just referred to her as 'divine wrath', and is playing entirely too calm about what, to her, is life-alteringly supernatural. All she can think about is that eye. Inescapable. Inhuman. Jennifer's conclusion gets a quick look, briefly snapping her out of it. "Oh god, like I wasn't a walking fetish enough, right?," she sighs, albeit with an appreciative grin. The feline, however, seems less pleased. "Technically, yes. She is. But a fetish? Why are the women of this era so crude?" He places a paw against his mushy face, vexed. "Regardless..." Pausing, Herukage gives Scott his attention until he clarifies. Afterwards, his eyes narrow. "How absurd. I am a cat." "A talking cat," Katsumi posits. "...We should wait until he returns. To assuage his fears. I can sense you each are ill-at-ease with my presence." He places his paws neatly before himself, sitting upright in regal poise. "There is nothing to fear from me. However, I would like to continue without interruption."
Scott Lang	Scott is only gone a few minutes, enough time to walk the floor and make a quick stop in the hallway bathrooms and change into his Ant-Man suit. There was a talking cat and talk about magical powers and even if there weren't demons stalking the halls, well, better safe than sorry. Emerging from the bathroom in his bright red outfit he passes by a maid with a cart who stares a moment before Scott smiles and nods his head. "Scuba-Con," he tells her, the maid letting out an 'oooooooooh' before she carries on as if that explains everything. Slipping back into the room he takes a moment to lean back against the door and stare at the troublesome feline before looking to Jen and Katsumi. "Well no monsters in the halls and you two are still here and conscious so I guess that's a good sign. No collars in the vending machine though, you'll have to hit PetSmart sometime," he jests as he takes a seat once more.
Jennifer Walters	"I don't know," mumbles Jennifer. "My undergarments /can/ be kind of lewd for the right person." She rubs her face with her hands as she continues to process everything that's going on. Now that Scott is back she nods her head at the cat for him to continue.
Katsumi Oshiro	"Yare yare...," entones the exasperated feline, sparing a paw to rub against his brow as Jen overshares. In walks Ant-Man, and the mood changes. Katsumi sits upright on the bed, startled by the sudden appearance of the Avenger. But she soon relaxes again. "Have a seat. Jen was just talking about her underwear." Herukage has a more visceral reaction, startling to all fours with arched back. But as soon as he realizes who it is, his expression flattens. "You look ridiculous." A paw raises. For a second time, he knocks the lamp over. "Leave it," he instructs to Jen. "And turn your attention to the wall." The tipped lamp has created a spotlight against the wall's surface. "I will tell you a tale of centuries past. How this came to be. What you are now. And what, ultimately, your destiny holds."
Jennifer Walters	"Oooh, a lightshow!" Jennifer barely manages to keep the sarcasm from her voice. She waits patiently for what the cat has to say.
Scott Lang	Scott can't help it, the moment Katsumi says 'underwear' in relation to She-Hulk his eyes flitting to her legs no matter how hastily he tries to look elsewhere. At least his mouth doesn't...no there it goes. "I'm sure they're very strong. And hey settle down anime Garfield, I'm no more ridiculous than a talking cat," Scott defending himself with a frown and picking at his suit after with some level of self-consciousness. He knows it's a...bold fashion choice to say the least but the perks usually outweigh that. Usually.
Katsumi Oshiro	The cat in question clears his throat indignantly, as if to calm a classroom. Katsumi still giggles at Scott's assertion, re: Jen's unmentionables. Story time begins! "Over four centuries ago, there existed a village near the coast of Japan. It was deep in the woods, isolated from civilization. But it was kept safe and governed by a wise samurai lord, to whom the villagers entrusted their lives." A number of stubby shadows has appeared in the spotlight, bobbing about conversationally. One is slightly taller and more stately somehow. "At the turn of what has been dubbed the Edo Period, samurai were being called away from their individual communities. The lord of the village was no exception." The taller, more stately nub dips forward in a bow, then dawdles out of the spotlight. The other nubs begin bobbing anxiously. "No longer did they have a powerful, discerning warrior to protect them. They would have to fend for themselves. The woods were thick and wild. The sea was fickle and cruel. But most of all..." "...these villagers, like all of Japan... knew of yokai." A fourth nub appears, small and subtle... but spikes slowly grow from its silhouetted crown. "They knew the tales humans had gathered and written. How yokai could appear human. How animals could become yokai. How dangerous they could be. How helpless humanity is against them." The spiked nub grows larger, the others shrinking. "These villagers knew fear." "Wait, were there attacks or something?," Katsumi butts in, suddenly looking to the cat. Herukage, currently lying on his back to utilize each limb (tail included!), with one paw's claws extended, gives her a flat look. "Details are coming. Shh."
Jennifer Walters	Jennifer settles back in her chair, watching the shadow puppet show. "Okay," she says, nodding. "Continue."
Scott Lang	Scott's head flicks back and forth observing the cat and then the shadow puppetry on the wall a few times before he slaps his hands down on his knees and stands. "I'm listening to fairy tale shadow puppets from a talking cat. I know, I KNOW Cap never has to deal with stuff like this. You all know that right?" Scott pauses a beat and then announces, "Katsumi I'm getting a drink, you better have alcohol," he warns with a finger briefly waved in her face as he goes into her cookie-scented kitchen.
Katsumi Oshiro	Katsumi Oshiro calls after Scott, "I don't drink!" His need of alcohol shall go unanswered! "Shh!," hisses the cat once more, his puppetry briefly disrupted by Scott's passing shadow. "Each day, their fear grew. Not of what they saw, but what they imagined. Shadows grew longer. The breeze seemed to growl. Birdsong sounded like voices in the trees. Without the samurai to protect them, they believed themselves surrounded by terrors." The little nubs continue their frantic quivering. The nubs suddenly shrink away, spiky silhouette included. Four nubs lift into view. "Sensing the growing despair and unrest, the village elders gathered. Two would depart to search for support from beyond the wild. The rest would stay and try to keep the peace." Two of the nubs shrink out of sight. "One left by boat to travel the coastline, until he could find a fishing village to bring back a warrior. But he was an inexperienced seafarer, and age had slowed him. The currents proved too much for him, and he, along with his small vessel, was destroyed." One nub vanishes. "The other ventured into the wood, bravely determined to face the haunting darkness. None had ventured far beyond the village before. But determination saw him through. But when he found the next village, he became enchanted with their customs lifestyle. He abandoned his journey." The second nub vanishes. "Neither of these elders were ever seen or heard from again; their fates unknown. So grew the village's fears. And it was not long before they began acting on them. Fear became suspicion. Suspicion became open hostility. It began with their own neighbors, accusing one another of sorcery, or inhumanity. They began looking for reasons to believe monsters dwelt among them." "And then, they began barbarism towards animals. Long loyal pets were killed by their owners. By neighbors suspicious of dogs or cats. And when an owner would lash out, they would be accused of being a yokai. That is how they began murdering each other." "Oh sh**. They went Salem..," Katsumi murmurs.
Jennifer Walters	Jennifer scowls at the history lesson. "Okay, so how does this tie into Katsumi?" she asks impatiently. The backstory is interesting and all, but it doesn't address more immediate concerns.
Scott Lang	There's a bit of a long silence from the kitchen and then a muted, "Dammit," before a clink of glass and then the sound of the kitchen sink running instead as he opts for water. When Scott returns he stops in the doorway and merely leans against the doorframe watching the theatrics with a sigh and sipping at the water. "Yeah this cat could use an editor. Or a fast forward. Bad stuff happened a long time ago. Why does Katsumi NOW have powers and why were you using words like divine wrath? This is the age of Youtube buddy, keep it snappy or you lose the audience," Scott also lending his own critique of the old-fashioned cat's sense of drama. Although it hasn't stopped Scott from showing back up with his phone out of his pocket either, briefly recording a few seconds of the puppet show. Cassie would love that.
Katsumi Oshiro	"Hey, yeah," Katsumi notes with a nod to Jen. "This hasn't got jack to do with me. Skip to the important bits! Old people were dumb, whatever!" The feline sighs. "I explain this because you must understand /why/ you came to be. There were no yokai in this village. Possibly one or two harmless visitors, a wanderer one night. Yet they continued killing each other. And when they ran out of pets, they began massacreing any wildlife they could find. They would venture into the woods and think themselves righteous as they slaughtered birds, squirrels, foxes, anything they could find. But the foe they faced was their own insecurity, their own paranoia. Humanity is... prone to this madness. And it only grew." "Okay, and?," urges Katsumi. "And what few elders remained of sound mind fled into the woods. They cried out to the gods for deliverence. They begged for intervention. And the gods were silent." "Save one." "The voice that answered them was not one humans had heard before. Makai-no-Yomorinushi was enraged by the wanton murder of innocent creatures. Of loyal pets. Of the blind hatred of things that had done them no harm, yokai or otherwise. He made a covenant with them. They were to build a shrine in exact form. They were to strike a human in defense of an innocent beast. This would not be a challenge, given the villagers' temperament. And then, that elder would shed their blood upon the shrine to complete the ritual." "In so doing, that human would accept the Yokai Soul and become Makai-no-Yomorinushi's divine wrath against humanity." Katsumi's mouth opens, only she pauses. "D-.. wait.. oh f-.. f***.." She pales. "..oh god. That cat..." "Yes," Herukage nods as he begins to sit upright again, focusing on the Japanese girl. "But I-.. I didn't-.." "You did."
Jennifer Walters	Jennifer's eyes flick from the cat to Katsumi and then back again. "What cat?" She asks Katsumi. "What happened?"
Scott Lang	It takes Scott a while to process everything and when he does finally it's, probably not the appropriate reaction to take as Katsumi finally discovers the origin of her supernatural mystery. He starts to laugh. "K-Katsumi, you're a magical wildlife defender! You're like, Ranger Rick or Smokey the Bear! Woodsy the Owl! Give a hoot, don't pollute!" And this is him without alcohol. He finishes his water and his filming, tucking the phone away and setting the glass down. "Right, Yokai Soul," he pauses for effect, two fingers raised to the ceiling a moment before pointing them at Katsumi. "How do get THAT, out of HER, before PETA finds out and tries to turn her into some sort of supervillain leader for themselves? I mean if there's an IN ritual there should be an OUT ritual also right? This thing has been driving her bonkers...no offense Katsumi," he appends.
Katsumi Oshiro	Katsumi Oshiro first puts her attention on Jennifer, the realization written vividly in her haunted features. "J-just before I came to America, we were shooting this promo. They wanted something spooky, and there was this..," she pauses to glance aside, the pieces fitting together more and more. "..oh god, the village..." "Yes," Herukage nods slowly. "...s-some sh** was going sideways, so I needed a break. I went into the woods, and found these chucklef***s kicking a cat around. So I pounded'em. And when I picked up the cat, it.. claws me. I almost walked into this old shrine, and some blood must've gotten on it, I-" She looks sharply to Scott. Clearly no offense has been taken. She looks just as quickly to the feline. "Didn't those old timey people do the damn ritual!? Why is it still active!?" "They did not, actually," patiently explains the cat. "Word had gotten out from their surviving errant elder. The daimyo dispatched his samurai, and they descended upon the village like a flood. None were left alive. The elders. The villagers. None. In honor of the samurai lord who once protected them, no histories would be recorded of the village and what had become of them, and its name would be stricken from history. The shrine - and I - lay dormant, waiting for one who would complete the ritual." He dips his head. "You." "But it was an accident!," Katsumi protests. She points at Scott, "Like he said, there's gotta be an out! What, do I have to kick a chipmunk!? What's it gonna be!?" Herukage looks at Scott briefly, then back to Katsumi, weary. "Yes. The Lord Protector may withdraw his blessing. Doing so will kill you, as it is a part of you now. But it will be gone." His gaze shifts back to Scott. "Understand that there is no undoing this. The divinity has seeded itself into her. She is one with it. As night falls, it overwhelms her humanity, and the wrath awakens."
Scott Lang	The laughter fades at the mention of death being the only way out. There wasn't much to make light of when it came to that. "She stumbles into accidentally completing some ritual hundreds of years after the fact and, that's it?! She's...and what wrath?! What is this thing going to do to her? Katsumi are you feeling alright?" Scott's worry palpable as he moves to her and sets a hand on her shoulder, offering a light squeeze with his gloved hand, the cat now receiving only dirty looks. Don't shoot the messenger but that didn't mean he had to be happy with it.
Katsumi Oshiro	Katsumi Oshiro is staring hard at her knees, attempting to process this. Something about it continues to bother her - the phrasing that keeps getting used. But at the question and feel of Scott's gloved hand on her shoulder, she lifts her gaze to him. "Y-.. ah.. no..?," she offers in uncharacteristically mousy honesty. "What am I..?" "Yes," replies Herukage abruptly. "That is it. Gods do not engage in trifles. What is done, was meant to happen." The feline hops down from the desk to the floor, seemingly unbothered by the glare. Cats are aloof, after all. "The wrath is the Yokai Soul; a piece of Makai-no-Yomorinushi, Lord Protector of the Night, Father of Beasts, Shepherd of Animalkind, and God of Yokai." He hops up onto a vacant chair and turns to face them before sitting primly. "Her eyes give it away; the color of divine blood. Every night, as the sun disappears beneath the horizon, she will possess qualities of yokai. The strength of oni. The speed of nuppeppo. The toughness of kappa. But so much more. These are offshoots, beings created by his divine will. She is of his divinity directly. She is his will enacted upon and among the humans, through a human, that humanity might know vengeance." "There you go talking like that again...," Katsumi murmurs. "Wrath. Vengeance. W-what the Hell.."
Scott Lang	Scott's mouth tightens up as Katsumi looks up at him with that expression of vulnerability, all his Dad instincts wanting to kick in and tell her it'll be alright. But right now he isn't sure. He takes a kneel next to where she's sitting and keeps a hand on her back as support, a feeling of she needs it right now. She was already in a vulnerable position having left behind her family for a foreign land, this couldn't be helping matters. "Right. Superpowers are one thing. But you're making it sound like she's going to, pardon the expression Jen, Hulk out and start smashing anyone your Yokai doesn't take a liking to. If this, THING, is going to take away her free will like some sort of eco-terrorist werewolf then we're going to find a way to control it, whether it likes it or not," Scott warns the feline.
Katsumi Oshiro	Katsumi Oshiro cringes a little on the bed as she's discussed. She hadn't even really thought about the possibility of blanking out and being completely out of control of the power. She nearly killed someone already by accident! She's been doing her best to get a handle on it! Herukage shakes his head. "You misunderstand. She will never be a puppet. That is not what the Lord Protector wanted. This had to be a human, willing to harm humans on behalf of a beast. Willing to be a weapon against its own kind, for a higher purpose than... tribalism. Intentional or not, her nature was revealed. The pact was made." His paw lifts to Scott. "And she is not meant to be indescriminate. It is humans. Humanity. Her purpose is to inflict great suffering upon humanity. She is his holy vengeance." "I'm not gonna do that! You- you're f***ing out've your mind!," Katsumi snaps. She then quickly looks to Scott, the frustration abruptly swapped for fear. "I- I'm not gonna do that!," she reiterates, her tone entirely different. Fearful. She's sitting next to an Avenger.
Scott Lang	"I know you're not Katsumi, it's OK. Like the cat said, you're not a puppet to this yokai. And this thing clearly isn't all-powerful, it already missed the mark by a few centuries. We'll figure it out," Scott assures, another squeeze to her shoulder to comfort before turning attention back to the cat as he stands up to try and loom over...a 30 pound feline. Well at least he didn't need to grow with the suit for that. "As for you, what are YOU here for? Cause given all I'm hearing so far, you're sounding an awful lot like you approve of humanity's suffering. Fitting for a cat and reason I'm a dog person," Scott finishes, actually checking his gauntlets as giving the feline a zap was getting more and more tempting the more upset Katsumi became.
Katsumi Oshiro	Thirty pounds is pushing it. Ten pounds might be more on the mark. MAYBE fifteen. And as Scott approaches, the feline lifts his head to regard him in a confidently unconcerned way. "That is an odd turn of phrase. Calling the Lord Protector a yokai." He slow-blinks. "Regardless. I do not expect a human to understand the intricacies of a divine covenant. I do not fault you your limited existence. However," the paw lifts again, "I caution against false hope." Katsumi has, meanwhile, huddled up against her knees. "I-I saw it, Butterscotts. I saw the thing. It was looking at me. Right at me. W-what're we gonna do about that?" Herukage continues, "I am his emissary. I was willed into existence to be her guide. In his wisdom, Makai-no-Yomorinushi knew humanity would struggle with this power and require honing. It is for her benefit." He turns to hop up onto the arm of the chair, then another hop to alight upon its backrest, bringing him closer to eye-level with the helmet. "You see, if she fails to use this gift properly, it will be taken back. She is given a very brief grace period. Then the Lord Protector expects his will be done."
Scott Lang	"I don't know what your Lord Protector is nor care except for the fact he's making HER miserable," Scott emphasizing with a point at the clearly distressed Katsumi, grinding his teeth as he thinks. Magic was outside his purview, and Hank's for that matter. Dr. Strange wasn't the easiest person to get hold of, they needed someone versed in this stuff. "Katsumi it's OK. I know this is all a bit overwhelming but we can...what do you mean take away? Wait wait wait, you said that would kill her if it left her," a hint of panic now making its way into Scott's voice. "How brief?! This thing sat around waiting for someone to bleed on an altar for hundreds of years, we should at least get a few decades here!" he tries to bargain.
Katsumi Oshiro	"Indeed. Four hundred years is a long time to wait for justice," Herukage replies. There's no elaboration on what he meant by taking it back, which likely means Scott's right on the money. "The Lord Protector will tell me when her time is up. Until then, I will teach her to use these powers - so that she will be as a wildfire." "I- I'm not gonna do it!," Katsumi yells back, her voice starting to get pitchy. Scott isn't the only one starting to panic. "If he needs to kill me, he s-should go ahead'n do it, cuz I'm not gonna go around killing people!" A quick look is shot to Scott, her eyes starting to cloud. "M-my life isn't worth that. And if I can f***ing reset this, then..."
Scott Lang	"No one said you need to kill just yet, I mean maybe, look maybe we all just need to calm down a bit and take some deep breaths and come back to this in the morning. Kat, Katsumi, come on sweetheart, hey, come on," Scott hurrying to her and kneeling down, gently patting the side of her face with one hand as he tries to get her to focus on him. Slapping someone who was hysterical was out of fashion, hopefully gentle pats would be enough, Scott looking briefly over his shoulder back at the cat. "Go make yourself scarce for a bit Jerry, I think she's had all of you she can stand for now," he snaps at the emissary of divine wildlife justice before looking again to Katsumi. "Hey, c'mon. No one is dead, no one is going to die. Just because that furball says it can't be safely removed doesn't mean he's right. We'll get some other people to look at you. We're not gonna let anything happen to you, got me Katsumi? Settle," using that Dad voice again usually reserved for when Cassie is freaking out over something.
Katsumi Oshiro	Katsumi Oshiro was trying to keep it together. Her mind was already racing towards inevitable mortality, being faced with the decision to either become a killer or take the plunge, herself. A meaningful glance is shot to Jen, suspecting she might understand the reopened wound. After all, Jen had to bring her back from a self-destructivee dark place not too long ago when everything seemed lost. And this time, she's staring down that barrel for, what, the greater good? She refocuses on Scott, and a sniff escapes her. "Y-yeah. I'm- it's fine. Got time. Can't think tonight, gonna think later." The little cheek-pats either worked, or were simply inoffensive enough to not bother her. "Th-thanks.." "Regrettably, it does not work that way," interjects Herukage. "I am to remain by her side. That is my divine mandate. I will n-" Katsumi has shot up to her feet, moved to the chair, and picked up the cat in her hands. Carrying him like a garbage bag, held out from her body, she moves to the bathroom, plops him on the floor, exits, and shuts the door. Her gaze shifts to Scott. He'll get it. She's sure of it. On the other side of the door, Herukage sits patiently on the tile. ... "..so, um, I wanted to make sure you came over 'cuz I felt like a, uh, jerk for freaking out at Christmas. And I thought cookies would've been better than an air freshener," she finally explains. "Do I not get a cookie?," calls Herukage from the bathroom. "No, you're a cat, you'll die!"
Scott Lang	Scott watches in silence as Katsumi takes care of the pesky feline, a satisfied smirk on his face as she finally locks it away in the bathroom. "That's been bothering you this whole time? We were attacked by ninjas and you saw your first giant ants, I don't blame a bit of freaking out. And hey at least I used the air freshener! Bad Christmas gifts get stuffed in the attic never to be seen again," Scott assures her, a glance at the dwindled tray of cookies. He blamed Jen for most of them being gone, she was so BIG she had to have eaten most of them. Though mysteriously another has appeared in Scott's mouth as well, a quick chew and swallow. "Though I do appreciate it all the same. Look are you gonna be OK? Jen can probably stay with you for tonight, probably better she does than me. I don't think, you know, it's a hotel room so..." Scott's hands kind of fluttering about as he tries to get it across a man and woman sharing a hotel room had certain implications attached. At the same time feeling leaving her alone with a talking cat and a panic attack wasn't really right either.
Katsumi Oshiro	"Also, Jen took me to the Avengers place," Katsumi blurts, apropos of nothing. Her mind is firing in all kinds of ways right now. There's a pawing at the door, and Katsumi responds by thumping her heel against its surface. Bunp! The pawing stops. "Eh, y-yeah, it's not.. that kind of hotel..," Katsumi murmurs as her head lowers, a couple stray streaks of rouge lighting her cheeks. "I'll be fine." She thinks. Or hopes, at least. "And I'll badger Jen to stay with me. God knows that f***ing cat can phase through walls or something, right?" She finally steps away from the door and turns to sit on the bed. "Godd***, how is it possible to feel so /drained/ this early in the night when you haven't even done anything...?" It's a weak cover for the emotional distress insistently threatening to creep back into her voice. Her hands raise to paw her hair out of her face. "Take the cookies home to your kidlet. I can make more."
Scott Lang	The noise Scott makes seems to start deep in his chest and makes its way up as a pained whine even as his face remains perfectly impassive, guilt filling him at the idea of leaving her in this kind of condition. Tentatively he moves to sit on the bed next to her, another sort of awkward pause that mirrors when he'd first come in. Thankfully he doesn't go for knuckles again but instead puts an arm around her shoulder and gently hugs her to his side before rocking back and forth slowly. "I'll stay just a bit longer. It'll be OK Katsumi. We've dealt with plenty of weird stuff. Hell Jen and I ARE weird stuff. Get you through this just fine, OK? Just, close your eyes and try to think happy thoughts OK?" he recommends as he holds her with a faint squeeze.